Anthony is a Toronto-based communications specialist with degrees in history and journalism who loves to use his research and interview skills to inform and entertain.
He has over a decade of experience writing about the world around us, including film, TV, music, gaming, sports, and wellness. With so many choices regarding what to buy and consume, he's passionate about educating readers on what's best and curating enjoyable experiences.
As streaming and subscription services continue to raise prices, consumers have been pushing back with a renewed interest in physical media. And it's not just the cost that's becoming a problem. A lack of quality and actual ownership has also spurred entertainment enthusiasts of all kinds to rethink how they engage with and retain their favorite stories.
It's all too easy to stream a movie, buy an e-book from Amazon for your Kindle, and download a video game from the PlayStation Store. Companies make it convenient to enjoy entertainment because it makes them a lot more money. Which is why, and I'm saying this without hyperbole, that buying up physical media and actually enjoying them is itself an act of rebellion.
Digital copies don't exist forever
One of the biggest problems with digital media is that you don't really own the material or content, even if you purchase it. Any streaming service you subscribe to allows for temporary access to a library. That monthly fee you pay gets you access to a catalog. It doesn't guarantee what's in that catalog or any kind of ownership whatsoever. So, when you pay for Netflix, the company provides you with a means to stream titles and presents you with a list of titles. That list may change weekly or monthly; nothing is guaranteed, and you don't own any of it.
Even when you borrow a digital ebook, you're being granted a license to access the title, not the title itself. And when it comes to buying a digital copy, that title is only available to you through a specific platform. So you need to make sure that the platform always exists. Now, it's unlikely that the PlayStation Store or Google Play Store is suddenly going to disappear, but it doesn't mean that any purchase you make now won't come with some extra fees or inconveniences later. And while you can access these titles, you can't often let anyone borrow them. You can't resell the title or trade it or swap it; it's accessed through a specific portal, so you need to maintain access to it.
When you buy a physical Blu-ray, vinyl, or book, it's yours. You own it and can do what you want with it, with no restrictions or guidelines. You can take it with you where you go, and you can access it without having to worry about an internet connection or download speed or anything else. No one even needs to know what you're watching or reading.
Your physical books and discs won't change
By acquiring and maintaining physical media, you are ensuring that stories stay the way they were intended, told by the original authors or creatives and not interfered with by any corporate, money-making interests. Maintaining the authenticity of stories, however troubling or problematic or dated they may seem, is a rebellious act. That's because a lot of companies want to change the past.
A re-release of Pretty Little Liars laid bare how fraught digital media is. Changes were made to the story as a way to update the text for a new generation of readers, replacing dated pop culture references with supposedly more familiar terms. The backlash was swift, claiming the changes were both ridiculous and troubling. If changes could be made to update references, why couldn't changes be made to remove parts that a company didn't like? Or that the government didn't like?
Consider how automatic updates come to your phone, tablet, or other digital device. There is no reason to think that your digital stories won't suddenly be changed one day, with sections edited or removed entirely. It's not far-fetched to imagine that some documentaries or books may suddenly become unavailable, especially because books are being removed regularly from libraries around the U.S.
You can look at streaming services as well, where certain supposedly problematic episodes of sitcoms have been removed. Whether or not you agree, the fact that you don't control the digital media you receive means you are powerless. Maintaining stories in their original form, and allowing people to access and read them, and make judgments for themselves, is essential to storytelling and creative autonomy. Don't let a company dictate how stories are presented.
Physical discs provide more detail and immersion
When it comes to Netflix, Disney+, and any other high-end streaming service, the best quality offered at the highest price still doesn't come close to the quality provided by a physical disc. The goal of a streaming service is to get you titles in the fastest, most convenient way possible. In order to do so, quality has to be reduced. A movie file is simply too large to get to you over Wi-Fi at the rapid clip streamers have come to expect.
Even if your smart TV is connected to the internet via a LAN cable, the limitations are still too great. A physical disc, whether it's a Blu-ray or DVD, holds more information and therefore provides better quality. You will see more detail and enjoy a title that adheres more to a director's vision. There is no buffering on a DVD. If a streaming service encounters a slow Wi-Fi connection, it won't stop the title if it can help it. Instead, it will just lower the quality until the speed picks back up.
Companies want consumers to swap out quality for convenience. It's cheaper for them if viewers accept something of lesser value and get consumers used to paying less for less. If you're going to spend a bunch of money on a nice TV, then you want to make sure you're getting the most out of it.
A digital-only future needs to be prevented
Perhaps the biggest red flag about a digital-only future came when PlayStation announced that it would eventually stop making physical versions of new video games. Instead, fans will have to "buy" a digital version of any new product. This is troubling for myriad reasons, not the least of which means gamers can't show off their disc collection. Some people like cases and discs, they can look great at home!
Most troubling is the control that PlayStation is going to possess and the money it will amass. A digital copy can't be traded, borrowed, or resold. You can acquire a title, but it's going to be basically yours only. Games cost a lot of money and there is no reason a gamer shouldn't be able to sell the game once they are done playing it, or trade it with someone else for another, or just let a friend try it out.
Digital copies don't require mass-producing or packaging or shipping, saving Sony a lot of money. The company is simultaneously reducing its costs while increasing costs for consumers, making gamers buy something that they don't actually physically own. And there is no reason to think this won't lead to more problems. Sony is the first to do this, and certainly other companies will take note. Paperbacks are in serious jeopardy; there is still a market for Blu-rays, but who knows how long that will last?
Buy physical media as often as you can to show companies that there is still a demand. Maintain ownership and control over the titles you love. Don't give in to a digital media future.